Thought processes and conversations started under the tilted cap of Tropicana Field. Someday everyone will know the Rays play in St. Petersburg, Florida, not TAMPA, or the fictitious city of TAMPA BAY.

Rays Finally Win in Seattle

Rays 5, Mariners 3

If you ever hit the Pacific Northwest, and wander up to coastline to Seattle, you must go see the insitution that is Pike’s Market. The Market is a electic, energizing collection of great food stands and aisle-side entertainment. Every one knows about the Flying Fish boys, but fish tossing is low key compared to a few hidden treasures in the Market.

One of my favorite sights in the Market has nothing to do with the tossing of any kind of fish. It is the Spoon man. Here is a guy who can do things with a simple set of breakfast utensils that it boggles the mind. I went for the Rays 4-game series a few years back and made sure to hit the Market and see this guy ewvery day I was there.

I got lucky because my hotel on Braodway was right down the street from the rail system that took me right to the Market parking lots for some small change. To park in Seattle is an expensive transaction. I paid 40 dollars to just park my rental car in the hotel lot.

Anyways, beside the cheese vendors and the seafood for miles in the market, you will find some of the most interesting smelling incense, herbs and odd looking veggies. I however, am not a coffee-holic, so Seattle was lost on me in that area. But, the Russian Perogie stand made my life a simple joy the three days.

I made sure to hit their stand and try the pasta of Eastern Europe. I had an amazing crab perogies’ one day, and a wild borscht that had a wild mushroom broth. The last day there I was treated to a reuben perogie and a simple Russian tea that woke me up after just one sip. I was buzzing the entire day long until after the ballgame when a few players got me buzzing in another way at a local dive called the Swanee.

Carlos Pena has been on a huge tear at the plate lately. In the 2nd inning, Pena blasted a ball to deep right center for his 21st homer of the season. For the game, Pena went 2-3, with 2 RBI’s and a run scored. In the 5th inning, Pena was issued an Intentional Walk.

Carlos is currently tied for 10th in the AL in homers, even tho he missed almost 3 weeks with his finger injury. The homer was Pena’s 6th in the last 14 games. Pena is currently only 1 homer short of the Rays team lead. Evan Longoria currently has that lead with 22 homers this season.

In his last 15 games, Pena is batting .314, with 6 homer runs, 14 RBI’s and 11 base on balls. Pena also leads all first basemen with a .999 fielding percentage, the best in the AL this season.

After the game, Rays Manager, Joe Maddon told the media that to make a roster spot for incoming reliever Chad Bradford, the Rays had designated for assignment, Al Reyes.

Reyes has spent two stints on the DL this season for different ailments, and went 2-2, with a 4.37 ERA in 26 appearances. Everyone remembers that last year, Reyes was the Ray’s closer and finished the season with 26 saves.

Rays starter James Shields did not have the greatest game for the Rays, but picked up his 10th victory on the heels of the Rays great 3rd inning. Shields pitched 6.2 innings of 9-hit, 3-run ball. Shields has now won 3 of the 10 games that Troy Percival has come on in save opportunities this year.

Shields retired the first 6 Seattle batters’ until Wladimir Balentien hit a 2-run homer to left that also scored Jose Lopez to put the Mariners up 2-1. Shields then coasted until the bottom of the 4th where he lead off by hitting Adrian Beltre , and gave up 3 hits in the inning and let the Mariner’s plate their last run of the game.

B J Upton went 2-3 last night with 1 RBI last night. Upton was also on base 4 times in the game also getting 2 walks in the contest. B J also stole his 35th base of the year and is now tied for 2nd in the AL with Ichiro of the Mariners.

In the 4th inning, Mariner’s catcher Jeff Clement hit a blast off the centerfield wall for a double. Upton got the ball in fast to the infield and kept Clement from stretching the play into a triple.

Last night, Maddon and the Rays’ traning staff took the precationary course and sat Evan Longoria down for the game. Longoria had been hit in the wrist area during Thursday night’s game and the wrist was swelling during the night.

X-rays came back negative, but Longoria could not throw without pain during BP before the game. Longoria is not expected to miss alot of time, but might sit the next few games to rest the wrist and to give him a breather. Longoria has not taken many days off since coming up in the Rays 11th game of the season. The injury might be a blessing in disguise to give the Rays’ rookie some time off.

Troy Percival came on in the 9th inning and shut down the Mariner’s offense on 11 pitches for his 25th save of the year. Percival got 2 strikeouts in the 9th inning, and got Brad LaHair to fly out to centerfield on the other out of the inning.

Percival picked up his 349th save last night and is closing in on another reliever, Jeff Reardon, who is next on the All-Time list with 367 saves. The Rays are 30-0 when Troy enters the game in a save opportunity. His 25 saves currently places him 7th in the AL this year. Opponents are currently hitting .167 off him this year.

The Rays had a few stumbles on defense last night, but they did not lead to opponents runs. Willy Aybar, filling in for Longoria stumbled while trying the field a ball down the third base line and gave Seattle an infield hit. Ben Zorbrist also could not find the handle after diving for a ball in the hole and could not complete a shovel pass the Aki for the third out in the 4th inning.

Prior to midnight last night, I got a call from a Rays insider that told me that Rays top prospect and phenom pitcher David Price will be heading to Triple-A on Sunday and will get his first start for the Durham Bulls on Wed. night. Price will start against the hard-hitting Norfolk Tides for his Triple-A debut.

In the Rays system, Price has now gone 11-0 in his first professional season. In Montgomery, Price pitched 57 innings and struck out 55 while walking 16 batters’.

Tomorrow I will give you some insight to a few interesting things about Safeco Field and some of it’s history, which also includes the Rays.

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